In the past, football players and other athletes have sustained serious injury from sudden impact to the head, neck and shoulders. In order to prevent injuries to the players a variety of different protection devices have been developed, i.e., helmets and shoulder pads. However, these devices are not sufficient to protect the neck and spine of an athlete. Consequently, in instances of sudden impact from the front or the rear, a player can sustain hyper-extension or hyper-flexion injuries to the neck which can also effect the cervical spine. Such injuries can result in either whiplash, partial paralysis, total paralysis, and, in extreme circumstances, even death. While there have been attempts in the past to provide devices to protect the neck and spine, none of these devices has found great acceptance within the field. Those devices available usually unduly restrict the player's movement of the head making it difficult to participate in the sport.